Special edition Leaders Podcast: More employees than ever are off sick. What should employers do? With Sir Charlie Mayfield

By Claire Farrow, Co-Founder & Global Head of Content, Make A Difference Media & Events
19 October 2026

In this special edition of our Leaders Podcast, Suzy Bashford is joined by Sir Charlie Mayfield, former chairman of the John Lewis Partnership and co-chair of Keep Britain Working.

Here at Make a Difference Media & Events, we’ve been following Sir Charlie’s work and that of the Vanguard employers with interest and enthusiasm as momentum builds.

Whether or not you’ve read the latest update, Keep Britain Working: a national growth opportunity, this podcast is well worth a listen. It’s the first time I’ve heard Sir Charlie use concrete examples to explain the thinking behind some of the proposals – ideas that sound promising but perhaps need a little more explanation to capture the attention of a wider audience.

Sir Charlie discusses the growing number of people becoming economically inactive and the significant impact this is having on UK productivity and the economy, as well as on individuals’ lives and wellbeing.

He explores why returning to work can be so difficult after someone leaves for health reasons, arguing that the UK lacks the systems, incentives and data needed to better support people to stay in or return to work. He also makes the case for “rehumanising” workplaces through better relationships, earlier intervention and more consistent contact between employers and employees.

Avoiding the morass of complexity

Crucially, Sir Charlie explains the thinking behind “stay in work” and “return to work” plans, which he wants to become as commonplace as the “keep in touch” days used to support employees returning from maternity leave. He also discusses the role of case managers in helping employers, employees and line managers navigate the process.

The conversation explores progress among more than 200 Vanguard employers and mayoral authorities, and the vision for a workplace health system built around shared responsibility, simplicity and better use of data. The aim is to help employers focus on outcomes while giving them the freedom to work out how best to achieve them. Sir Charlie also discusses a prototype app designed to confidentially generate the aggregated intelligence needed to support this approach.

Growth hiding in plain sight

Ultimately, Sir Charlie sees Keep Britain Working as a major opportunity to boost growth and productivity – a case of growth hiding in plain sight. The potential benefits extend to SMEs and young people as well as larger employers, and he considers how AI could play a supportive role.

His enthusiasm is infectious, and I’m keen to see what comes next as the plans evolve in response to feedback from citizen panels bringing lived experience to the table.

You can listen to the episode here, on Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.